DiLibero vies
for new gig; Dems want your stuff; preparing for the next storm; WCCDC wants
board members; Gentz and Tremblay get mad
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| Bill DiLibero in happier times |
By
Will Collette
Bill DiLibero
vying for a new job!
Charlestown’s
poorly treated former Town Administrator Bill DiLibero is vying for a new gig as interim Town Manager for East Greenwich.
As Progressive Charlestown readers will remember, DiLibero was the target of one of Charlestown’s most outrageous hatchet jobs when the CCA Party – who had
praised, honored and given raises to Bill – decided to use him as a scapegoat
to divert attention from their mismanagement of Charlestown government and
their “Y-Gate Scam.” Bill was ousted
after the CCA Party’s “Kill Bill” campaign made his position in Charlestown
untenable. Best wishes that you get the new gig!
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| Some prime goods from last year's sale |
Dems want your
stuff!
The
annual Charlestown Democratic Town Committee yard sale is coming up on July 6.
CDTC’s top fund-raiser Frank Glista is still looking for salable goods that
will bring in some cash, so please contact Frank by e-mail or
at (401) 364-3723.
Storms are
coming
It’s
only a matter of time before we get hammered with another major coastal storm.
Area property owners are getting some major sticker shock as their storm insurance bills skyrocket
as federal subsidies for flood insurance decline. The rate hikes are across the
board, not just on those homeowners whose homes were trashed by Sandy.
Add
the expense of meeting new storm proofing standards if storm damage exceeded
50% and Hurricane Sandy made living on the beach a lot less attractive. While
there are arguments that we need to reverse development on beach fronts and discourage re-building, there is no
active policy against it – just economics and the increasing effects of climate
change.
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| Charlestown Housing Official Joe Warner - taking classes |
Some
months back, I wrote about a special FEMACommunity Rating Program. This program involves a commitment
by a town to using best practices to prepare for severe storms. It rewards
communities by granting flood insurance discounts to homeowners of anywhere
from 5% to 45% depending on the municipality’s level of commitment.
Westerly recently stepped up its storm preparation program and qualified to enter the FEMA program with a rating of “8” that will qualify Westerly homeowners for
a 10% discount when they renew their flood insurance.
And recently, Charlestown announced that it also hopes to
qualify. One critical step is for Charlestown to designate a qualified person
to serve as Storm Manager. Our Housing Official Joe Warner has been taking the
classes needed so that he can be qualified to assume that role. That will be
another of the many hats Joe already wears.
There might even be a surprising source of funding for disaster preparation. The Associated Press revealed that the American Red Cross, which raised $303 million for recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, has only spent a third of the money. For unconscionable reasons, the Red Cross is sitting on more than $200 million that was supposed to go to Sandy's victims. By contrast, the Robin Hood Foundation spent the Sandy relief money they raised almost as soon as they had raised it.
My Louisiana friends at the Louisiana Environmental Action Network tell me the Red Cross did the same thing after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita - they collected beaucoup money and kept it. They told me the only national organization that earned their respect was the Salvation Army.
There might even be a surprising source of funding for disaster preparation. The Associated Press revealed that the American Red Cross, which raised $303 million for recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, has only spent a third of the money. For unconscionable reasons, the Red Cross is sitting on more than $200 million that was supposed to go to Sandy's victims. By contrast, the Robin Hood Foundation spent the Sandy relief money they raised almost as soon as they had raised it.
My Louisiana friends at the Louisiana Environmental Action Network tell me the Red Cross did the same thing after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita - they collected beaucoup money and kept it. They told me the only national organization that earned their respect was the Salvation Army.
The Washington
County Community Development Corporation wants board members
They’re
looking for people who believe in affordable housing, especially those who have
skills. Board members are volunteers, unpaid, and are expected to attend monthly
meetings and help the organization achieve its mission of developing affordable
housing in South County.
To
be eligible for appointment, you should meet at least one of the following
criteria:
Affordable housing advocates and providers; Human and social service
providers; Community representatives; Civic and community leaders; Individuals
willing to contribute particular expertise needed by our organization, such as
architects, engineers, builders, developers, accountants, attorneys and grant
writers; Lenders and others with expertise in underwriting and financial
planning; Individuals with access to private, corporate or philanthropic
resources; Or, low and/or moderate income individuals residing in Washington
County or West Greenwich, RI.
If
interested, send a resume or request an application form via email to WashingtonCountyCDC@gmail.com or call (401)
667-7185.
Speaking of
affordable housing….
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| Boss Gentz - hypocrite on affordable housing |
CCA
Party Town Councilors Boss Tom Gentz and George Tremblay had a letter to the editor in the Providence Journal which later ran in the Westerly Sun that lambasted Rhode Island Housing
for screwing Charlestown by denying funding for the ChurchWoods and Shannock
Village projects. Ironically, these projects are both planned under the
auspices of the aforementioned Washington County CDC.
Gentz
and Tremblay are absolutely right that Charlestown was screwed, royally, by RI
Housing’s 180-degree turn on their funding committee.
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| ...and Councilor George Tremblay with his loony theory about the elderly |
However
justified their irate letter is, I have a theory about why RI Housing decided
that Charlestown should be denied funding. My theory is that this is pay-back
for the CCA Party’s relentless attack against affordable housing, including an
effort to repeal the state affordable housing law. That attack was led by none
other than Boss Gentz and George Tremblay.
In
their attacks on affordable housing, they bent and twisted the truth beyond
recognition. Tremblay in particular went way over the line by concocting a bizarre and unsubstantiated tale that affordable housing for the elderly – like ChurchWoods
– was being exploited by elderly billionaires. Even in their letter to the
Journal, Gentz and Tremblay continue the myth that affordable housing is
routinely going to families with above average incomes.